Category Archives: Family tree

I am sharing with you today a story by Ancestry.com about one woman’s experience with DNA testing for genealogical purposes.
I too have done this and it has been incredible finding out the results which went a lonf way to confirming he family tree i had compiled for my self along with finding long lost cousins.Thornley Genealogical services commend this service by Ancestry dot com’s as an additional way of establishing your family roots.

Diary of a DNA Test

(shared from Ancestry dot com)

” My 21-year-old stepdaughter was over for Easter dinner and saw the Ancestry DNA kit on the table.

“I’m so jealous,” she said, “I want to know where I come from.”

I’ve been working on my family genealogy for 3 and a half decades, so, what do I want out of the DNA test?

I’m like my step-daughter: I want to know where I’m from. And who knows who I might meet along the way?

March 28, 2016

Opening the Box

I’ve been worried about the ways I can screw this up. Will the pork rinds I ate at dinner show up in my results? What if I can’t spit enough?

Will this become part of my permanent record? What if it turns out my family is completely boring? Also, can I convince my husband to take it to the post office for me? I don’t have cash for postage… [but it turns out it’s pre-paid]

First a moment of intimidation, making sure I got the 15-digit code right to activate the test. I made a typo, but caught it on review, so check your work!

I actually did something rare and read the Terms and Conditions. Apparently, I won’t be able to sue if I don’t like the answers I get – or really for any other reason. And yes, I retain the rights to my actual DNA. [phew!]

And then there was the Informed Consent form to participate in research projects to “better understand the human species.” Cool. This is probably the closest I’ll get to scientific research, so I had to say yes.

Preparing the Sample

I can’t eat, drink, or smoke for 30 minutes before the test. Luckily the pork rinds came some time ago.

The instructions were easy … and though it was a little more spitting than I’m accustomed to, it wasn’t onerous.

And, as I’d noticed, the postage is pre-paid. Should make it easy to convince my husband to play postman since he’s going there anyway.

Now the waiting. Not my strong suit.

May 3, 2016

Why I Like Curry

What do you do when you’re waiting for the doctor to come into the exam room? I used to read magazines, but like many of us, I now goof around on my smartphone. I checked my mail, and my results were in. What better place to explore who I am?

As I started working down the list, most of the results were no shock:

40% European

21% Irish (frankly, a little higher than I would have guessed)

17% English (a little lower than I would have guessed)

11% Scandinavian

Scandinavia, huh? That came as a surprise! I don’t know of anyone from that region. Might have to chalk that up to Viking raids.

It’s the trace elements that really left me wanting more:

5% Finland/Northwest Russia

4% Greece/Italy

1% Iberian Peninsula

1% South Asian…

That’s what I shouted out to my doctor when he walked into the room:

I’m 1% South Asian!?

He looked at me like he might call a psych consult, but after I explained that I’d just gotten my DNA results, we learned that we share that 1% Iberian Peninsula. Olé!

Later, I looked into what my Ancestry meant when they said I have a range of possible ethnicity from South Asia that’s from 0 to 2%. That means that 0% is a possibility. But so is 2%.

In any case, I’m having my husband take me out to my favorite Indian restaurant to celebrate my findings.

I also have 311 user matches, which are all potential relatives. I want to talk to all of them tonight!

June 1, 2016

Let the Adventure Continue

I haven’t really plumbed all its depths yet. I have 29 results in the “new ancestor” section, but I haven’t figured out how any of them fit in with me.

I’m pretty excited to see how my DNA circles will grow. It builds a group of people descended from one of your ancestors. Sounds like it’s making Ancestry even more of a team sport.

Mostly, the database needs more participants to strengthen and expand the results. That’s fine, I don’t mind being an early adopter.

The more people involved (with online family trees that they’re willing to share!) though, the better chance I have of making new discoveries. I do hope any new data won’t negate my 1% South Asian results – though that wouldn’t stop me from going for that curry my husband keeps promising me.

– Elaine Clark

Start your own Adventure

Could there be unsuspected Scandinavian or South Asian ancestry in your ethnic mix? Take an AncestryDNA test to find out!

Like this:

” Who Do You Think You Are? is a British genealogy documentary series that has aired on the BBC since 2004. In each episode, a celebrity traces their family tree with the assistance of Ancestry dot com. It has since been franchised and adapted in 10 different countries around the world including the USA and Australia.”

Recently I have been viewing a number of episodes of ‘Who do you think you are ‘ on Youtube. And over the years I have thoroughly enjoyed watching this program and sharing in the journeys of the various celebrities that have agreed to look into their family origins with the help of Ancestry dot com and the BBC, NBC or SBS . As you will see, celebrity or not, their reaction is no different to those experienced by my own clients or indeed myself when doing Genealogical research with Thornley Genealogical Services! And you too will find that all of your emotions will be impacted as you share in a tear or a smile with them…

Comedian Billy Connolly discovers that he is more than a working class Glaswegian, a Scot with Irish Immigrants in the family… he actually discovers a link to generations of his family living in India and more!

When you are conducting research into your own families origins, your inquisitiveness will be further tantalised as you move back through the generations. I have been conducting my own family research for over 35 years now and my own family tree has 16,000 + individuals whom are all related to me by blood or marriage.

An important thing to remember is to be open to the information that you will receive about the past. In watching just some of the ‘Who do you think you are‘ episodes you will see that in all cases they are humbled by events of the past and the lives that their forebears had to endure.

Additionally, we can not and should not judge our forebears on today’s values. The majority of them lived at a time which was very different to today’s way of life…. even 50 years ago…. and much of what we take for granted now, in such a materialistic society, could never have been imagined back then.

The world’s first ‘Super Model’ Twiggy finds a ‘criminal’ element in her forebears. Yet when the circumstances are looked at in their entirety, a sad story of survival emerges.

Many people that have researched their family tree say that they feel fulfilled and have a greater sense of ‘belonging’. Family, Nationality, Ethnicity along with Humility and Understanding all play their part in growing your Family Tree.

So I encourage you to sit back and enjoy this fascinating series. And at the same time, contemplate looking back into your own origins……. I can help you with that! 🙂

the history of a particular family showing how the different members of the family are related to each other

Also known as Family Tree Research: finding one’s family origins.

Have you ever wondered about your origins? ……Are there stories handed down through the generations that you would love to solve?….. Wondering how and where to start?

Then why not utilise the experience of Thornley Genealogical Services to get you started or indeed contract them to do it for you. Either way, you will share in the journey of discovery along the way!

Michael Thornley has over 35 years experience in researching both his own and others family origins. He has collected 15,000 + family members on his ‘family tree’ whom he affectionately calls his cousins and indeed they are as they all share a common ancestor with him.

Who is in Your Family Tree is a guide for the budding Family Tree Researcher or Genealogists as they are also known as… there we are, learning something already and you haven’t even read the book yet!

Michael E Thornley is not only an Author and Entrepreneur but in addition successfully runs ‘Thornley Genealogical Services’ as one of his businesses. “A man that wears many hats at once” he is sometimes heard to say. But he does this most successfully!This book is a guide to the basics of ‘how to get started’ in researching your family tree. He has often been asked “ well I have seen all these links on the Internet about where to do the research BUT HOW do I get started??”Thus Michael has put together a straight forward guide to answer some of the more common questions that are asked. He has also shared tips on what to expect when you start asking family and friends about ‘what they know’ in relation to ‘my family’. You may be surprised at some of the reactions!

Therefore, Michael has also provided you with guidance on how to get started on your own research if you have the time to devote to this most worthy adventure into your families history. Or perhaps you wish for Thornley Genealogical Services to do the ground work and delight you with a myriad of surprises as they present to you the results of their research.
Either way, get started on your Family Tree today!

‘Who is in Your Family Tree?… Where to Begin Your Research’ by Michael Thornley

the history of a particular family showing how the different members of the family are related to each other

Also known as Family Tree Research: finding one’s family origins.

FAMILY PHOTOS- George Deudney, my 3X Great Grandfather

Have you ever wondered about your origins? ……Are there stories handed down through the generations that you would love to solve?….. Wondering how and where to start?

Then why not utilise the experience of Thornley Genealogical services to get you started or indeed contract them to do it for you. Either way, you will share in the journey of discovery along the way!

Michael Thornley has over 35 years experience in researching both his own and others family origins. He has collected 15,000 + family members on his ‘family tree’ whom he affectionately calls his cousins and indeed they are as they all share a common ancestor with him.

Who is in Your Family Tree is a guide for the budding Family Tree Researcher or Genealogists as they are also known as… there we are, learning something already and you haven’t even read the book yet!

Michael E Thornley is not only an Author and Entrepreneur but in addition successfully runs ‘Thornley Genealogical Services’ as one of his businesses. “A man that wears many hats at once” he is sometimes heard to say. But he does this most successfully!This book is a guide to the basics of ‘how to get started’ in researching your family tree. He has often been asked “ well I have seen all these links on the Internet about where to do the research BUT HOW do I get started??”Thus Michael has put together a straight forward guide to answer some of the more common questions that are asked. He has also shared tips on what to expect when you start asking family and friends about ‘what they know’ in relation to ‘my family’. You may be surprised at some of the reactions!

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